One of Japan's most active volcanos erupted spectacularly Friday
evening with a fiery blast that sent lava rolling down its slope.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said Sakurajima on the southern island of Kyushu erupted at around 7 p.m. (1000 GMT).

Japanese television showed an orange burst out of the side of the
volcano, near the summit, accompanied by lightning-like flashes. Dark
grey smoke billowed into the sky.

The Meteorological Agency banned entry to the area, expanding an
existing no-go zone around the crater to a 2-kilometre radius, according
to public broadcaster NHK. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Friday's eruption, while dramatic, was average compared to Sakurajima's
past eruptions, Kyoto University volcanologist Kazuhiro Ishihara told
NHK. The mountain's last major eruption was in September.

He said rocks spewing out of the crater were expected to fall within
the 2-kilometre zone from the crater. Smoke and ash rose 2 kilometres
into the air, about half the height measured in 2013 in one of the
mountain's biggest explosions in recent years, he said.

"I don't think there will be any serious impact from the explosion,"
Ishihara said. "But of course we must keep monitoring the volcanic
activity."

The Japanese archipelago sits atop the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc
of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin, and has more than 100
volcanoes. The 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan killed 57
people.